Sales at stores open at least a year climbed 7 percent in the quarter, partly reflecting the effects of higher fuel prices. Stripping out gas-price inflation and stronger foreign currencies, sales at stores open at least a year increased 6 percent.

Galanti noted that Costco expects to see inflation in beef and poultry prices over the next six to nine months, but not enough to dampen consumer demand.

He also mentioned that Costco benefited from strong sales of nonfood items such as large-screen TVs, jewelry and private-label clothing, adding that it was “getting people in the door via gas and fresh foods and having them walk by those types of things.”

Last month, Costco said it would pay a special dividend of $7 a share on Dec. 18 to shareholders of record Dec. 10. It will pay for the dividend with proceeds from a $3.5 billion debt offering.

Many companies are making special end-of-year dividend payments or moving up their quarterly payouts because investors will have to pay higher taxes on dividend income starting in 2013, unless Congress and President Obama reach a compromise on taxes and government spending.

Galanti told analysts that Costco is somewhat optimistic for a compromise on the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

“We, like everybody, have a little cautious optimism that they’re going to do at least a compromise and — or they better,” he said. “So we’re not really focusing a lot on it right now.”

Costco currently runs 621 warehouses: 448 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, 85 in Canada, 32 in Mexico, 23 in the U.K., 13 in Japan, nine in Taiwan, eight in South Korea and three in Australia.

For fiscal 2013, Costco plans to open as many as 30 new stores, nearly twice as many as last year.